Ancient Egypt and the Nile

Ancient Egypt

• One of the first great civilizations
• Also known as kmt, meaning 'The Black Land'
• Life was centered around the Nile River
• Yearly floods provided nutrients to the soil, making the land fertile
• The Nile was the primary route of travel
• Egyptians settled in the delta, the Nile Valley, and areas with water, such as oases in the deserts

The Nile and Civilization

• North of Memphis, the Nile divided into channels, forming a delta
• Much of the delta land was swampy, while the rest was good for farming
• The Western Desert had oases, which were areas where enough water was available for crops
• The Eastern Desert lacked oases but contained valuable minerals like gold
• The Nile valley was 19 km wide and over 5,960 km long
• Ships sailing south were stopped by cataracts

Ancient Egyptian History

• Nile Culture began around 3900 B.C.E. during the predynastic civilizations
• The Archaic period occurred from 3200-2650 B.C.E., following the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt
• The Old Kingdom existed from 2650-2134 B.C.E.
• The Middle Kingdom existed from 2040-1640 B.C.E.
• The New Kingdom existed from 1550-1070 B.C.E.
• The Late Period existed from 750-332 B.C.E.
• The Greek Ptolemaic Era occurred from 332-30 B.C.E.
• The Roman Period occurred from 30 B.C.E. – 395 C.E.

Social Classes Pyramid

• Pharaoh
• Upper Class: royal family, government officials, army officers, priests, landowners, scribes, and doctors
• Middle Class: merchants, manufacturers, and artisans
• Lower Class: unskilled laborers and farmers
• Servants

Union of Two Crowns

• The Red Crown represents Lower Egypt
• The White Crown represents Upper Egypt
• Menes overthrew the king of Lower Egypt and wore a Double Crown
• Unification means joining separate parts into one whole

Pharaoh's Regalia

• The Nemes was a striped head cloth worn by pharaohs, tied at the back with lappets
• Lappets fell down either side of the face, acting as a decorative flap in ceremonial headdress
• A Cartouche contains Egyptian hieroglyphics that spelled out the name of a Pharaoh
• The Flail symbolized the pharaoh's role as provider of food, and the crook symbolized the role as the shepherd of the people

Lotus Flower

• Depicted on ancient Egyptian architecture
• Commonly seen on the capitals (tops) of Egyptian pillars
• Symbolized the sun, creation, rebirth, and regeneration

Papyri

• Plant grown in Lower Egypt
• Stem fibers used to make paper
• Part of the Sedge Family

Egypt’s Economy

• The Pharaoh was at the center
• Based upon Agriculture
• Pharaohs took taxes on crops and goods
• Goods were often "bartered" or traded for needed items
• Good farming land that utilized irrigation systems
• Complex flood patterns required mathematical skills and advance planning

Food Production

• When crops were ready, nearly everyone (including priests), helped with the harvest
• Musicians played during field work, and magic spells were chanted
• Women used wooden trays to scoop grain, letting the chaff blow away
• Farmers paid part of their crop as taxes, with scribes recording the amounts
• Young boys looked after livestock, and a man's wealth was judged by the cattle he owned
• Other animals raised: sheep, goats, and donkeys
• Surplus food was stored for future use and traded for other goods
• A surplus in food production allowed new trades and specialty jobs to develop

Trading the Surplus

• New products and ideas could be imported and led to profit
• This money was invested to create cities and please the gods
• Small boats were made of bundles of reeds, larger ones were built of wood. Some boats sailed through the Red Sea.
• Ships had no deck except for short sections, with cargo stored in the open hold
• These ships had oars and one large sail
• Ships sailed to Punt by being carried across the desert in pieces and reconstructed, Punt was likely located in eastern Africa, but its exact location is unknown

Craftsmen

• Talented craftsmen could get new jobs
• Surplus food Production allowed for their wage payments
• New Products and Skills were developed, some with medical applications
• Pots were shaped by hand in molds and hardened with fire
• Jewelry and gold-plated objects were made from gold mined in Nubia
• Statues and even a king's coffin were made of solid gold
• The only shoes worn were sandals made of leather or papyrus reed
• Wood carving was also implemented

New Hierarchy

• Agricultural and trading opportunities allowed a new hierarchy to form, creating an elite/aristocracy
• People paid wages to others to work for them
• This lead to a life of free time for new ideas, inventions and skills development

Ancient Egyptian Language

• Hieroglyphic
• Hieratic
• Demotic
• Development of writing using papyrus and pictographs
• Allowed for ideas to transferred to the entire population
• Enabled the passing down of information through generations

Hieroglyphics

• A system of writing used to keep records
• Scribes acted as record keepers and original accountants
• Papyrus were made of paper
• The Rosetta Stone transcribed Hieroglyphics, Greek, and Demotic

Literature

• Literature was viewed as a unique way to elevate style of expression
• Works were classified into various genres like novels, short stories, and poetry
• Also Included folkloric tales, proverbs, moral teachings, philosophical meditations and literary messages
• Included plays, dramatic poetry, songs, religious hymns and love poetry
• There was a description of nature and panegyrical glorifying kings

Sophisticated Civilization

• Large scale projects were now feasible
• Facilitated planning, writing and mathematics, in addition to, new tools
• Raising stone blocks was accomplished using huge ramps and ropes
• Officials, likely priests, directed the work gangs
• Each stone was carefully measured and shaped to fit
• Many workmen were crushed by the heavy stone blocks

Towns and Cities

• Craftsmen, traders and laborers found city life more convenient
• Urban economy and lifestyle developed
• These conditions lead to medical threats to an urban population

Pyramids

• Built as tombs for the Pharaohs for the Afterlife
• Housed everything needed for the Paraoh
• Zoser’s Step Pyramid at Saqqara is the earliest step pyramid

Khufu's Pyramid, the Great Pyramid

• The peak of pyramid building
• Considered to be one of the wonders of the ancient world
• Built to a height of 146 m but now it stands at 137m
• Made of total 2,300,000 blocks
• The blocks weigh 2.5 tons on average
• Around 285 blocks were added each day

Religion

• Very important
• Temples
• Priests, with physicians
• Charms, still used extensively

Charms

• The Ankh symbolized regeneration/enduring life
• The Eye of Ra (Eye of Horus) amulet for living/dead
• The Djed symbol was used in jewelry/hieroglyphics for stability
• The 'Was Scepter' symbolized divine power/authority

Egyptian Religion

• Polytheism
• Ra, the god of the sun
• Many gods & goddesses
• Ra (khepr- Ra- Atum)
• Amon-Ra, chief god/god of Thebes
• Osiris, god of the dead
• Horus, protective god/living king, son of Isis/Osiris
• Isis, goddess of the throne and magic
• Hathor, goddess of love, joy and music
• Anubis, god of mummification

Egyptian Deities and Death

• Ptah: god of craftsmen and god of Memphis
• Sekhmet: goddess of war
• Thot: god of knowledge and writing
• Hapi: god of the Nile
• Seth: god of evil
• Nephtys: sister of Isis, one of the protective goddesses of the viscera jars
• Forms of the Sun God:
  • Khepr: the scarab at the early morning
  • Ra: the sun disc at noon time
  • Atum: the ram at sun set time
• Death and Funerals include embalming, and burial in tombs
• The spirit comprises of three souls "ka, ba, and akh"

The Afterlife

• Required an elaborate death ritual
• The embalming procedure was directed by priests
• Tools and techniques are used, however, it is not a medical procedure

Mummification

• The priest wore the mask of Anubis
• Incense was burned
• The body was wrapped in layers of linen before placed in the coffin
• Natron was placed in the body to dry it out before being wrapped
• Linen strips were sometimes soaked in plaster
• Mummification required excessive respect for the Dead body
• Sacred Body does not allow for exploration or experimentation because Dissection is Forbidden
• Mummification provides vast anatomical knowledge of Egyptians
• The brain was removed via the nose with a forked tool
• Internal organs were extracted and kept separately in canopic jars
• The heart was left in its place

Lifestyle

• Lifestyle comprised of personal hygiene
• Personal hygiene was very important
• Public works allowed for drain systems water delivery systems and bathing

Family

• The nuclear family was the core of Egyptian society
• The gods were arranged into such groupings
• Tremendous familial pride
• Lineage was traced through both the mother and father's lines
• Parental respect was a cornerstone of morality
• The eldest son/daughter was charged with the care of his parents in their last days to ensure proper burial

Women

• Women had greater freedom of choice and legal equality when compared to Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome
• Allowed to initiate divorce
• The could serve on juries, inherit, testify, and disinherit ungrateful children
• Gender played an increasingly important role determining female occupations
• Women worked side by side with men on peasant and farms
• Higher levels of society saw gender roles were more entrenched
• It was more likely for women to remain at home while their husbands worked civil jobs
• Men and women inherited equally from each parent
• The eldest son of inherited the job or position as well as the responsibility of the parents' burial
• Real estate was commonly held jointly by amongst family members

Childhood

• There was no society without children
• In which children are perceived, integrated, and raised Established the very foundations of Egyptian society
• Wealthier children had toys while most learned around them and mirrored their parents performing chores/field work
• Children from wealthy classes went to school, some children from poor classes would go to schools
• Children were represented naked until age six
• Characteristics included finger in the mouth and side hair lock